Pill box



B. J. VAN :DEN DooL 2356,632

PILL BOX Aug. 22, 1944,

Filed Sepi. 30, 1941 Patented Aug. 22, 1944 rILL Box) H Berend Jan van den Dool, Deventer, Netherlands;

' vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application September 80, 1941, serial No. 418,022

' 6 cia-nns. (01. szos-42) This invention relates to .boxes 'or containers and has special reference to boxes for pills, tablets and the like. 1 i

It is quite common to provide boxes for pills and the like wherein an opening is provided of proper size to allow the contents to escape one by one and to provide a slide, lid or cut-off to keep such an opening closed. However inthe sale of such boxes there is no way of determining (by the customer) whether or not the box has been opened and some part of its contents abstracted so that the purchaser would not receive a full box. It has been proposed to guard against such removal of part of the box contents by pasting a paper sealing strip around the box at the factory, any o opening of the box being indicated by removal or breaking of the strip. This method is not en-T tirely satisfaetcry since the paper strip sometimes may be slipped off the box, some of the contents abstracted and the strip replaced unless the strip is adhesively secured to the box itself. Even when so secured the effect is not satisfactory because boxes of this Character are usually ornamentally or otherwise printed on the exterior and a strip of paper used for sealing purposes destroys the display of such printing and thus hinders sales.

It is one important object of the present invention to provide a novel sealing arrangement for such a box, so devised that the sealing means will be impossible to remove without detection.

A second important object of the invention is to provide an improved closure means for such a box, the means requiring no extra material. o

A third important object of the invention is to provide a construction for the seal or closure which is of such nature that the seal may be opened by one's thumb nail or a simple implement like a pen knife or nail file.

A fourth important object of the invention is to provide an improved construction for the purpose set forth, wherein the seal used will not interfere with the ornamentation of or printing on the box.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be presently apparent, the invention consists ingeneral of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawing like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and- Figure l is a top plan view showing the outer box cover open and the seal in place.

, Figure 2,is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. o

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of one corner of Figure 1 but with the seal or closure broken oif and the delivery hole open.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectionon the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

'In the construction of the invention as here shown there is provided a box body having a bottom IO; a frontpwall I l, side walls |2 and a rear wall 13. These walls extend upwardly from the bottom at right angles thereto and the box bottom may be made as a sheet metal stamping or from cardboard, plastic or other suitable material. Preferably the side walls merge into the front and rear walls by arcuate corner Ill. A cover |5 is secured to the rear wall |3 by a suitable hinge IG and is of a Shape and size to conform to the top of the box body, the cover being fianged at l'l to fit against the walls of the body.

Fitted in the box body is an inner box having a top IB from which depends peripheral side walls |9 arranged to fit tightlylagainst the inner surfaces of the walls l2 and |3. Adjacent one corner of the top IB there is provided a delivery opening 20 of a size to permit the pills or the like held in the box to pass out through this opening one at a time. This opening is preferably formed by cutting an arcuate slit 2| in the material of the box, the slit being slightly more than 270. The cutting of this slit provides' a tab or seal 22 which, until the inner box is opened, is attached to the top |8 along a weakened line 23. The seal 22, in process of manufacture is bent up adjacent the line 23 as at 24 and is then bent to provide a portion 25 parallel to and spaced above the top |8. By means of this construction a thumb nail, knife blade or the like may be inserted at 26 and the seal pried up which, due to the weakened line 23, will break it free from the top |8 so that once the seal has been raised it cannot be replaced. Thus, if the box has been opened for access to its contents, the absence of the seal will aiford warning of such tampering with the box.

In filling the box the desired contents may be placed in the body before the top |8 has been applied. Then the top may be placed in the box body and, if desired, soldered or otherwise secured against removal. The cover |5 having been closed the box is ready for shipment and sale.

What is claimed is:

1. A box having a top wall provided with an opening therein for the escape of articles held in said box, a tab attached to and integral with said top wall and projecting over and positioned somewhat above said opening to retain articles in the box, said tab being attached to said top wall only along a weakened line to frangibly secure the tab to the top wall, and a separate cover, hingedly connected to said box, which cover when closed, is above said top Wall.

2. A container having a wall provided with a discharge opening for the escape of articles contained in the container, a tab attached to and ntegral with said Wall, said tab having a major portion thereof overlying said opening in a manner to retain articles in the container, said tab being attached to said wall along a fractional portion of the edge of the opening, said major portion of the tab being spaced outwardly from the plane of the opening to provide space for reception of a thumb nail or the like between the tab and the said wall, and frangible means securing the tab to the wall whereby the tab breaks away from the wall upon being pried outwardly sufficiently to pass one of said articles through said discharge opening.

3. A box having a wall provided With an arcuate slit outlining a portion of an opening for discharge of articles oneat a time from the box, the material Within the slit constituting a tab closing said opening, a major portion of said tab overlying the opening and being substantially parallelly displaced outwardly from the plane'of the opening, the portion of the tab connected to the wall of the box being weakened so as to break when the tab is moved outwardly suificiently to unclose the opening so as to enable discharging articles from the box.

4. A container having a wall formed with an arcuate slit defining a discharge opening and a tab in closing relation to the opening, said discharge opening being proportioned for discharge of articles oneat a time from within the container when the tab is detached out of closing relation to said discharge opening, a major portion of said tab being spaced outwardly from the plane of said discharge opening to provide space between the free end of the tab and the said Wall for reception of a thumbnail or other prying instrument, and the portion of the tab connected to the wall having a weakened area arranged so that the tab becomes detached from closing relation to said discharge opening when the tab is pried outwardly away from the wall of the box.

5. A box for containing and dispensing pills or the like one at a time, said box comprising a relatively rigid top formed with an arcuate slot defining a dispensing opening and a tab in closing relation to said opening, a major portion of the tab overlying said opening being spaced sufficiently upwardly from and generally parallel to the plane of the opening to permit insertion of a prying instrument under the tab for raising the same to unclose the opening, the portion of the tab which is connected to the top of the box between the ends of the slot being weakened to break off When the tab is raised sufiiciently to permit the passage of a pill or the like through said opening. i

6. In a box adapted for containing and dispensing pills or the like one at a time, a relatively rigid top wall formed with an opening proportioned to dispense one of the pills or the like at a time, a relatively rigidtab comprising a first portion fixed to project from a portion of the edge of saidopening at an upward inclination With respect to the plane of the opening, and a second portion projecting from said first portion across the opening and preventing the passage of a pill or the like through the opening, said second portion being generally parallel to and elevated With respect to the plane of the opening so as to permit the insertion of a fingernail or the like under the tab for raising it to unclose the opening, and frangible means fixing the said first portion to the edge of the opening and arranged to break off when the tab is raised to unclose the opening.

BEREND JAN VAN DEN DOOL. 

